Family
by cjanimal
Summary: Everyone has someone they care about.


**Thought I'd try something different from my normal speel, would appreciate feedback.**

"Hey Ruby…. Remnant to Ruby?"

Ruby looked up from her magazine, the newest issue of Hunter's Weekly, to her sister. Who was proceeding to play and mess up the younger girl's hair.

Pushing her sister's hands away Ruby backed away from the ever encroaching hands which creped ever so closer, all the while doing the best to smooth out the now erratic strands. "Yang stop that! What do you want?"

Yang giggled at her sister's actions, choosing to further tease the girl rather than answer her question.

"Ah… does my little sister not like having her hair made all pretty?"

Ruby yelled out as the boxer's hands darted out lightning quick messing the once smooth hair. "Yang stop that, I like my hair the way it is."

Her exclamation only proved to increase Yang's laughter. "You're hair looks better messy though..."

"I don't care what it looks like… but that's beside the point, what did you want?"

Yang paused at her younger sister's outburst "Blake wants to get some more novels and Weiss needs to get some books for class so I'm going with them. You coming?"

Ruby shook her head a grimace on her face. "No I don't want to come; you know I didn't want to be here in the first place. I wanted to stay in to work on Crescent Rose but noooo… 'I have to get out more.'"

Yang folded her arms across her chest. "Well you do, you've been spending far too much time indoors of late working on Crescent Rose or 'studying'. You need to take a break, get outside and enjoy the sun or get some fresh air. Nothing like the greasy workshop we always find you in."

Ruby grunted in annoyance. "Well you got me out of Beacon… isn't that good enough for you. Just let me read my magazine."

Yang shrugged at her words. "Suit yourself; we'll call when we're done."

But as soon as the blonde left Ruby came to the quick realization that she had already finished the magazine and to be frank she wasn't quite sure what to do now. She had already gotten all the parts needed for the mods for Crescent Rose the previous week and there wasn't anything else she needed for school, plus she very well couldn't follow the rest of her team after the way she had treated Yang.

"Might as well check out the park, get some fresh air or something," Ruby said to herself as she exited the shop. "The Gods know I've been stuck up in that workshop longer than even Yang realizes. A good walk might do me some good. Clear my head a little."

The journey to the park was in itself uneventful, the shop was close enough as it was and the pedestrian streets were clear of the crowds once seen during the Festival days. The park was set up quite nicely. The grass was neatly mowed and the pond had a number of large trees that looked perfect to read a book under or possibly a nice soothing nap. She considered for a moment of doing just that but was interrupted by the quiet cries of a child coming from behind on of the trees.

Peeking behind the offending tree Ruby discovered a young girl, no older than seven, quietly sniffling, doing her best to not make a sound and obviously failing.

Kneeling down Ruby placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder catching her attention. "Hey now, is something wrong?"

The young girl looked up at the teenager through tear blocked eyes and choked out a response.

"N…N-No."

"What's your name?"

The girl sniffed as her crying diminished. "My name's Alex."

"Alex? Is that short for something?"

"Alexandra."

Ruby smiled at the young girl. "Why isn't that a beautiful name. I wish my name was as good as that. My names Ruby, you know like the gemstone."

Alex laughed at Ruby's word. "That's a pretty name."

"Why thank you Alex, now that we got introductions out of the way how about you tell me what's bothering you?"

Alex looked down and sniffled again as if her tears were about to resurge. "I can't find my daddy."

"Oh… did you wonder off?"

The child shook her head. "No, he left for work. But he left me with Margret and she's boring, she won't even let me play the piano. I wanted to find daddy so I snuck out."

Ruby smiled at the young girl. "Well that doesn't sound very nice. Is Margret your mother?"

The child looked at Ruby quizzically. "My mom? No Margret's the babysitter."

"Then what about your mother? Is she at work to?"

Once again Alex stared down at her feet, pulling her knees up and rapping her arms around them.

"No… Mommy isn't with us anymore…"

Ruby was taken aback for a moment as she realized what the young girl meant. In the absence or Ruby's response Alex continued.

"Daddy said she had Tube-o-Locus but they caught it too late and they couldn't treat her."

Ruby wringed her hands not quite sure how to respond, she remembered quite clearly about the loss of her own mother. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

The girl didn't respond.

"So now… you're out in the middle of the park… do you know where you're daddy works…? I might be able to take you to him?"

She shook her head. "Daddy travels a lot for work."

"Oh… then do you remember you're address?"

Again the girl shook her head.

"Well how about we take you to the police they could…"

But the young girl shook her head, even more vehemently then before. "Daddy doesn't like police, says they're all core-upt."

Ruby shook her head. "The police aren't all like that they're…"

"Nooo!" Alex stood up defiantly. "No police!"

Ruby backed up a bit holding her arms up in surrender. "Ok no police…"

Ruby of course had every intention of turning the young girl over to the police. As just a mere Hunter in training she lacked both the resources and ability to located the girl's father.

However the closest Station was quite a walk away, so it was up to Ruby to take the child there herself. Ruby offered her hand to the young girl. "You ready to go?"

Alex nodded to the older girl as she took Ruby's offered hand and began to walk beside her. Ruby could tell that even with her presence the young child was still very nervous if not outright scared, so it was up to her to calm her down.

"You know, I lost my mother when I was young too." Ruby said to the girl beside her.

Alex looked up at her, wide eyed and amazed. "Really? What was she like?"

"She was the kindest most beautiful woman I have ever known. I remember her hair being such a beautiful blonde, my father always described it looking like spun gold. Oh… I get my hair from my father; my sister on the other hand takes after mom… I admit, I am a little jealous…. sometimes."

Alex giggled as she listened to the older girl's words. "Whenever my mommy would read my bedtime story daddy would always just stare at the two of us. He said that he was looking at us both but I could tell he was always looking at her. Margret said he must have been mess-mer-ied."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle back in turn. "Your mother sounds like she was absolutely beautiful, maybe as pretty as mine."

Alex shook her head violently. "Nah ah. My mom was way prettier.

Ruby was about to defend her mother when she suppressed the urge knowing a she said she said match would likely occur with the young child. Even though Ruby was quite ashamed that she had only just prevented the childish argument mere moments before the words left her lips.

Ruby and the little girl were approaching the next street when Ruby heard a familiar voice in the distance, suddenly out popped the villain himself, Roman Torchwick. She was about to pull her weapon free from its holster when she noticed his less than immaculate appearance. In all the times she had ever seen him his dress was all class, never was there a crease or a loose thread, whenever he committed one of his dastardly crimes he was always seen with his pristine white overcoat, freshly shined shoes, ironed pants, neatly tied ascot, slicked hair, and his trademark bowler hat and cane.

But the man she saw in front of her was anything but. He was wearing a simple set of blue jeans with running shoes. His clean overcoat now replaced with a white button up that was clearly put on without a thought given the number of buttons in the wrong holes. His hair lacked the slick gel that gave him his one eyed look. Even his signature hat and cane were missing. But what was most astonishing was not the man's dress but his actions. The man was drenched in sweat and he had this far off panicked look in his eye as he looked this way and that all the while calling out.

"Alex! Honey!? Where are you!? Alex!?"

Just seeing the most feared criminal in such a state was astonishing enough, but what came next was even more so.

A tiny voice beside squeaked out a single word.

"Daddy?"

The way that man's necked whipped around one would have thought he might have snap his own neck. He now rushed at Ruby, the movement causing the girl to involuntarily reach for her weapon once more. But she then realized that he wasn't coming at her, in fact Ruby didn't even think that the man had even noticed her as he enveloped the young girl beside her in a hug.

"Alex!? Oh Honey…. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

The little girl lowered her head in shame staring at a pebble on the ground as if it may soon grow legs and wonder off. "The babysitter was boring… she wouldn't play any fun games with me, she wouldn't even let me play any fun songs on the piano."

Roman wiped the relieved tears from his eyes before once again pulling the young girl into a hug. "Alex Honey... I've been looking for you all night. You can't just run away because you're bored. You had me worried sick…"

But he was interrupted as the girl stomped her foot and yelled at the man "But you're always gone for work, and when you are home you're always too tired to play with me."

She stomped her foot again to emphasize her point. "It's not fair! Why can't you be more like when mommy was with us! You would always play with me back then, but now it's only stupid sitters! I don't want to play with sitters! I want to play with my Daddy!"

Torchwick stared at the young girl in front of him, a steadfast look as if some realization was coming to him. "Oh baby I'm so sorry."

He pulled Alex into another hug. "You're right… you're completely right. I should be spending more time with you. I … I just didn't realize it was effecting you so badly. Tell you what, I'll take a week off from work for you, the guys can handle it without me for a little while. But you have to promise me you'll never do this again. You have to promise Alex, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

The girl smiled, a look of triumph on her face. Reaching up she curled her small arms around her father's neck planting a wet kiss on his cheek.

"Of course Daddy."

Torchwick picked his daughter up and turned to the teenager beside them.

"Young Miss, I'd like to thank…"

He stopped as he realized the identity of the girl in front of him. Ruby just stared back at him, still paralyzed in shock by the criminal mastermind's show of affection. His mouth opened and closed a few times, as if mimicking a fish gasping for air, before he spoke once again.

"I'd like to thank you looking after my daughter. I wish you a happy day."

And with those words he spun around and began to walk in the way he had originally come. The child peeked over her father's shoulder and waved back at Ruby.

"Bye pretty Lady!"

Ruby could only wave back as the two disappeared around a corner.

Ruby stood there as the seconds dragged into minutes, probably would have stood there for hours more if she had not been interrupted by the arrival of her team. Yang was the first to speak.

"Hey Ruby! We finally found you. We've been looking all over for you… we tried calling your scroll but you weren't picking up."

Ruby moved her scroll out from her pocket, unlocking it only to realize that Yang's words were in fact correct. She had a large number of missed messages not only from her team but also from JNPR, most likely they were trying to help find her as well.

With a sigh Ruby looked up from her scroll. "I'm sorry guys, I just got caught up in some things."

Weiss, evidently, didn't care for her vague explanation. "You're sorry!? You're just sorry!? We've been looking for you all day… it just like back when Blake ran off after the incident. I would have thought you would know better after all the worrying that Blake put us through."

Ruby cringed at the thought, she remembered how she felt when Blake ran off and she didn't like the thought that her actions may have done the same to her friends.

"Really I'm sorry for what I did… It's just… Hey did you guys get all the stuff you were looking for?"

Lucky for Ruby Weiss was swayed by the change in subject. With a smile she began to describe her 'conquest' "I was able to find a copy of Ithor's Fables in the used bookstore we found. I can't tell you how hard it is to find a copy… even more so to find one at this price even if it is only a fourth edition. It will be of great help for Professor Port's essay next week…"

Weiss would have continued to detail her find if not for the interruption of Yang.

"Yeah yeah… that's all and good but we went there for more than just books for your school work." Yang through an arm over her sister's shoulder and brought her close in as if to whisper, although anything but a whisper left the grinning lips. "Blake got herself an entire stack of new novels, the smutty kind if you know what I mean?"

Blake did her best to hide herself behind the book she was reading, which just so happen to be one of the very novels Yang was describing. Yang seemed to greatly enjoy her partner's discomfort following her teasing with another barb.

"She may need a little alone time once we get back."

This comment forced Blake to leave the refuge of her book revealing a face as red as Ruby's own cloak.

"Yang!"

Ruby sighed as she watched her teammate's antics as Yang started to bring not only Blake but Weiss as well into her moral 'depravity' as Weiss put it. But the hour was late and the need for cookie was high. She looked up, finally taking notice to the quickly darkening sky, a dark pink filling the sky.

"Guys we should probably be heading back soon, the last airbus will probably be leaving soon."

At her words Yang reluctantly stopped goading on the others and followed quickly catching up to her sister.

"You know… you never did tell us what you've been doing all day?"

Ruby thought for a moment before replying, she wasn't sure how she should respond to the question. Seeing that side of the great criminal Roman Torchwick was new, but she wasn't quite sure she should be telling her team of something so personal. With a smile she turned to her sister. "Just enjoying the fresh air."


End file.
